


Lemon Prince

by CandyBambi



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Childhood Friends, Comedy, Drama, Eventual Smut, Fluffy Ending, M/M, Magic, Modern Fantasy, Modern Royalty, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-16 16:15:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11832360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandyBambi/pseuds/CandyBambi
Summary: A tragedy leaves prince Victor promising to care for an orphaned child at the request of a dying girl. The new addition of company was a welcome change to the royal family, but never did Victor expect his life as a prince, suddenly change in the company of Yuuri. While Yuuri and Victor participate in shenanigans as children, Victor finds himself unwillingly growing up, and Yuuri tries to catch up only to end up in love with the wrong person at the wrong time. Instead of tragedy, this all ends up amusingly confusing for everyone.





	1. Change

**Author's Note:**

> An idea I've been cradling for a while... This is supposed to be very much comedic and romantic with a spoonful of drama. I think the angst from my previous fic really emptied my ability to produce angst, so I hope this fic brings my readers a smile and a laugh. I know how hard life can be sometimes. Thanks for giving this new fic a try, I'm so excited for what I have planned in this story, and hope you share that feeling as well.

Perfection is a state where there is no error or vulgar occurrences, it is where only peace, satisfaction, and joy can bloom. Winners of life usually live in glamorous settings, they’re usually the ones that won the lottery of their birth. Royalty was the highest level one could obtain; also one of the hardest maintain. Victor was born with the ultimate winning ticket being the new heir to Ursias, the kingdom of snow. It was a title Victor took pride in, but also disdained, he was never allowed the luxury to be carefree like other children were. Loneliness was the only consistent company he had.

The  King and Queen were known for being charismatic, wise, and loyal to their people. Naturally they worked to improve their relationships with fellow kingdoms in hopes of helping each other. Unfortunately, this meant they were required to travel and leave their son in Ursia to grow up within the safe walls of the castle.  Victor was against his parent’s trip, his mother and father explained to their best ability that they wanted to leave a safe world for him. Defeated, Victor could only accept it being the powerless child he was, unable to put up much of an argument against his parents good intentions. He could, however, retain the right to sulk and cause some trouble by sneaking out. 

Going to a quiet place was difficult to do in private, being the prince of a well loved community meant that he was easily recognized and always supervised by his caretaker. Victor didn’t dislike the spotlight of attention her attracted, but he did find himself annoyed with the specific person his father chose to raise him. A prince from a renowned family such as him, shouldn’t be cared for by a ex war criminal. With respect, Victor thought his father was insane to think such a person was appropriate to care for him. Yakov was once a well known brute that worked to overthrow Ursia’s royal family, only to be captured by the holy army and forced to serve the nuns of the country. After a time of retribution, the army general Lilia soon evaluated and approved his character to be released as a free citizen. No one quite knows why, but Yakov applied to serve the royal family after he was no longer a criminal, swearing he would like to redeem himself by serving the royal family. Victor personally though his parents were too soft and foolish for believing him, a criminal was a liar through and through. It’s too easy for him to lie, and yet everyone failed to doubt his sincerity like Victor did.

Yakov called Victor outside his room, knocking politely but loud enough to wake him if he were napping “Victor, it’s time for your calligraphy lessons with Mr. Ivanov.”

Being followed by a balding man only furthered Victor’s dislike for him, and swore he’d do his best to lose Yakov as he recklessly crawled out his window using his spare bed sheets, sprinting through the carefully tended garden, crawling under fences and running down the streets between adults as Victor made his way into the crowded market.. 

Being small was advantageous, passing by people and crawling through small spaces were easy, Victor was proud of himself for taking his hat with him, shadowing his face from others to avoid being recognized. It wasn't long before Victor found himself enjoying the freeing sensation of being around others who didn’t care who he was. Victor’s parents refused to give him the freedom of public spaces without supervision, insisting he was still too young to travel by himself safely. Other kids got to explore the edges of the kingdom’s city, play games, tricks, and roll around the dirt of the nearby ocean, so why couldn’t he do the same?

Small legs pitter pattered over the smoothed ground as he began passing through the magician’s district; the only street that led to the ocean shore. Going through this part of the city wasn't his favorite, there were always strong bitter fragrances in the air, likely from the herbs and spices used in spells and cauldron mixing,and there was often heated debates over useless topics in terms of magic. The scent of coffee was especially prominent in this region, plenty of prominent scholars spent their days in sleepless work.

Once he got to the center of the claustrophobic crowds, Victor followed the direction of where he caught sight of the ocean. The sight of the ocean being so close was a new thrill of excitement that took hold of him Out of all places it was always the sea that his parents were the most against him nearing. Since the beginning it has always been known that the ocean carried the impurities and evil of the world, a price to pay for the purity of the land, traveling by boat was  suicide where only the desperate and foolish would do. To play around the edges of the ocean was even risky, only the daily protection charms of the kingdom’s royal army made it possible for the public to play in the shallow waters.  

The innumerable amounts of unknown dangers of the sea certainly scared Victor’s wits, but the curiosity of the unknown nature of it made him all the more desperate to set his eyes on the salted body of water and feel the sand under his feet. Victor found it silly for people to be afraid of the unknown without taking the risk of approaching and understanding it, which may be why the ocean called to him with its reclining waves and light air; he wanted to see for himself exactly how dangerous it could be.

Sneakily, Victor grabbed the back of a carriage that was following the rarely taken pathway to the neighboring country; it was really a more scenic route to take as there were many other paths available that took shorter time to reach the end of. Hiding behind the carriage in silence, Victor had to cover his mouth to keep himself from giggling as he found himself imagining Yakov frantically running around in search of him as he loses more hair in the wind. After losing sight of city, Victor begin to feel guilt tread along his thoughts for the trouble Yakov was likely going through, but quickly shaking it off when he told himself to enjoy this bit of freedom he deserved. Once the grassy pathways began to fade into fine sand, Victor quietly jumped off his free ride to approach the slow crashing of waves.

It was interesting to see his laced shoes sinking into tanned sand, it was the first time he found kicking the ground an entertaining task. Victor enjoyed the sight of his steps sinking into the ground, like the ground was grabbing his feet. 

The slivers of salt wafted in the air, growing as he neared the lining of sea foam. He’d sneak his toe at the edge of where the slowing waves would end before pulling back to the depths. Even though the kingdom’s beach was safely cleansed for shallow swimming, Victor was never allowed to dip his toes in water in fear of the possibility of being devoured alive by a creature of macabre existence. The unknown nature of what was ahead excited, the secrets and freedom the ocean promised were exciting to Victor, a prince who desired to step outside his sheltered life.

Excitement died down a little, tingling with slight hesitation when Victor watched the tips of the waves reach for him before pulling back. Slowly, he pulled the strings loose from his shoes, removed his shoes with his socks stuffed in, later pocketed in his jacket. An inquisitive toe dipped right into the wet sand, soon meeting the water as he delved deeper into the water, the cold temperature made Victor flinch in surprise but giggle in the delightful sensation of iced water around his foot. 

Childlike joy burned into Victor’s young heart, it wasn’t long before both his feet settled over the flat sand with water at his ankles. An untouched childishness in him broke free, and Victor was gleeful in his jumping and and splashing of water, but it stopped when he stumbled over a stray board of peculiar looking wood. The whites of his pants and silver lining of his jacket became soaked grey with grainy sand. Water and sand kept his fall gentle and harmless, but the welling of tears and heat of the embarrassment gathered in eyes and cheeks, only to stop when his eyes found another small stick of wood washed up in front of him. 

As the sea foam faded, Victor picked the piece, noting the vertical lines of the wood and smooth texture, it seemed it’d be difficult to get a sliver from this type; no doubt foreign, likely native to the eastern side of the world. Much of the lands in the east were closed off from the world, keeping to themselves while trading with a few trusted others. The only reason why a piece of such wood could be on the shores would be…

“Shipwreck.” Victor said as he saw the ruined remains of a small boat made of the same material, this time the battered boat with holes in the bottom held up what looked to be dark paint clinging to the vestige of wood.

Victor splashed deeper into the water as he approached the soaked wreck, freezing where the water stopped at his knees. At first glance, the small frame of child similar in size to Victor, was curled up in ragged clothes. “Are you okay?” Victor called out in his small voice, he wasn’t quite sure what else to say or do, it was a far journey on foot back to the city and he couldn’t bring himself to leave this person. There was no verbal response, the girl shivered into the water. The sound of his heart was heavy and fast as he stepped closer to see a young girl with soft features lay weakly in the water, blood spilling from the gashes  around her neck, staining the water.

The heavy sensation of despair was new and difficult to process for Victor, he’d sever seen someone so battered, it brought out a tugging burn his heart just knowing she was in pain. Victor looked around  to call for help, but found no one in view to provide aid. Quietly, Victor kneeled by the young girl, taking in her dark chestnut hair that stuck to her neck, and pasty complexion. The girl must have heard him approaching when she her eyes fluttered open, locking onto him. At first she glared at him and pulled her arms closer to herself, her long sleeves covered what she was holding, her glare became less intense once she took in his appearance.

The dark colour of her eyes spoke of her origins; no one outside of the east side of the world could have owned such distinct features. Victor had grown in a place where people had bright and colourful hair and eyes paired with strong noses, but this girl was an outsider; she had no one to help her now that she was alone. If Victor had been in her place, he would have felt fear and despair. Fingers reached out to touch her shoulder as a form of comfort, Victor couldn't bring himself to look away “Miss, what happened?” her skin felt ice cold.

Confusion took over, but she managed to understand him and  responded in the same tongue through shivering breath “Please…” She spread her arms to show a shivering toddler curled against her chest that clung to her shirt, the long sleeves of her clothes had managed to keep him hidden. Her weak arms picked him up to push into Victor’s arms “Keep him safe.” She begged, gripping onto Victor’s collared shirt, her face twisted in pain and despair, her words were soaked in tears “I can't keep him safe anymore… I'm so scared of leaving him, I don't want to go…” she admitted, frustrated and sad with her own weakness, her  grip loosened  when Victor placed his own hand over her cold one, her shallow breathing became slow “There’s no choice for me now… He’s all I have left.” Blood trailed past her lips, staining her teeth with it “I will never be able to watch him grow… He won't have any family without me there, and that scares me more than dying, never knowing if he’s safe.”

Victor’s throat tightened, holding the fragile child close to him, resting on one knee while placing his other hand over his heart as he found himself unable to refuse a noble request. The look of her straightforward eyes told him why she was asking a stranger such a large favor; this life he carried was precious to her, and she had little time left. Royalty must remain loyal to their own and weary of others, but he couldn't bring himself to refuse such an earnest request to save a life. Refusing this girl would be likely what Victor was supposed to do, but he lacked the hardiness to turn his back on another person, it just didn’t sit right with him. Slowly and clearly, Victor accepted her request “I'll protect him with everything I have, teach him the ways of our world so he does not stray. Safety of his life and wellbeing is what I swear to you. You don’t need to worry, I as prince, will care for him.”

A smile broke out, a lovely one of finality and relief on the girl  “Thank you.” Her eyes fazed slowly, fingers dropped back into the water, and she was gone with the ocean once her breathing stopped.  

It was then that Victor began to break in character out of grief for the lost life. Seeing life being taken was heartbreaking, he felt weak being unable to help her more. For so long he grew up believing the world was a place of right ever since he was told the story of how the world came to be. What sort of terrible world took life away in such a brutal manner? On the edge of losing himself to the rampant emotions that were new and violent to him, the soft cries of the baby called for his attention. Victor briefly wiped his tears away and gently tugged the wrapped cloth over to get a better view of the life he was responsible for. Crying was shameful in front of a baby, he needed to be stronger if he wanted to properly care for this child. With a deep breath Victor kept himself from from breaking, and gently rocked the child in his arms to soothe his cries.

Soft crying of the baby quieted to curious wonder when rounded dark eyes caught sight of Victor, his tiny hand clutching and unclutching the air before gripping tightly over Victor’s finger. Such a strong grip showed strength. The child laughed and continued to hold on to him, his delicate limbs writhed in joy when Victor smiled for him.

“Young prince.” A deep voice addressed behind Victor, unusually gentle and quiet.

Victor didn't need to turn behind him to see who had finally arrived. “Yakov… When did you get here?” He asked, sniffing his nose as he turned to see the man he was adamantly escaping from.

Yakov delicately pinched  the ends of his fingers to remove his gloves, folding them neatly into his pocket, he glanced at the wreckage beside Victor “Just now, when you made your vow to the girl.” Yakov replied, his sharp eyes were gentle and comforting, a first for Victor to see. Yakov was always furrowing his expression and spoke sternly to Victor, always scolding him for being too childish and naive, this calm and gloomy atmosphere was as first to behold for the heir of Ursias. “Young prince, did you mean what you said? The word of royalty must never be given easily... but you are still a child of seven years.” Yakov gestured the giggling child in Victor’s arms “The child doesn't need to be your responsibility if the burden is too great.” His voice was calm and forgiving which only aggravated the rage Victor felt for the suggestion.

For Yakov to think he would do such a thing was infuriating “Never! I have her my word, a promise.” The tears slipped down his face, his hand stroke over the toddler’s rosy cheek “I was entrusted this life, it is my choice to care for him.” If Yakov refused to understand, Victor would fight with everything he had to ensure that the child would be cared for, he couldn’t back out like a coward.

The strong sting of Yakov’s gaze intensified to Victor, striking fear into the young prince’s skin “You are a prince. That child you carry is nothing more than a foreign intruder.”

Fury set fire in Victor, dominating any other doubts and fears his heart may have had. The harsh words of Yakov only hardened his resolve “How can one life be lower than another because of a title?! If a world with titles allow life to be treated like trash, then I don't need it!” He spit back, keeping the baby closer to him “I don’t understand why you would treat strangers like that.”

Shaking his head, Yakov sighed “People have died much worse than this girl. Her life and the baby’s are too few compared to the number you are loyal over.”

“That's not true. Any life should be honored and respected. If the lives I care for are many, what does one more matter?” Victor questioned, unwilling to give in and accept Yakov’s words as a truth “He at least deserves a chance to prove itself.” he hushed the child when it began to cry again.

Yakov’s stern expression became pensive as he quietly pondered Victor’s words until he nodded in agreement, surprising Victor with an approving smile “You're right. Proving one’s worth is important. Hasty decisions because of impatience and ignorance is not the way of your family.” This time he was kneeling in vow “A true son of the king must show his value for all life and understand the weight of his decisions.” He returned to his feet despite the damp spots over his knees “You will be a great king one day, you have your mother’s strength and your father’s gentleness. Be proud.” The tall burly man dressed in finely tailored clothes approached the girl’s body, gently placing his hand over her face to close her eyes, removing his coat to cover her wounded body as he carried her in his arms. Yakov's looked to Victor “If the prince would accept my aid, I would like to help you see through the well being of the child and a respectful burial for the girl.”

Seeing his father’s servant in a different light took away the childish disdain Victor had for him. Yakov’s words were rarely ever so sincerely kind, but had perfect timing for when they finally arrived. Gratefully, Victor accepted Yakov’s offer, allowing himself to be guided by Yakov. Victor followed the footprints Yakov left in the sand, glancing between the sand and the fragile life he carried “Thank you, Yakov.” He understood now, why his father had chosen Yakov as his servant; he was sincere and honest with how he approached situations. Maybe there was a reason Victor’s  father trusted him so deeply, perhaps he saw something in him that Victor failed to see.

“I'm only doing this because I wish to, young prince, It gives me hope to know that you would defend an innocent life.” Yakov looked sadly over the girl’s face “If I had a child that was alone in a foreign land, dying, I would wish the king was kind enough to honor and value their life.”

Victor tore his eyes away from the baby, staring at the long expanse of Yakov’s straightened back. Something about him was old and whittled from life with how he carried himself and looked at the girl he carried. When he was older, Victor hoped to inquire Yakov about his past, he wasn't sure if he was capable of understanding the answer he may receive if he dared to ask now. Turning back to the child, he noticed him nipping at a smoothened silver pendent, the back of it carried a carved line of symbols. Victor stopped to ask Yakov of the meaning when they settled into the carriage, tucking the blankets and pillows over the girl that laid on the opposite side of them. Yakov looked over the silver carving, his finger touching the carved indents “Yuuri Katsuki.” 

The child giggled in delight, looking to Yakov with attentive eyes, smiling at him.

“It seems to be his name. A strong sounding name.” Yakov predicted optimistically, taking out a spare blanket from the small cupboard under their seats for the sake of switching out the soaked one Yuuri was wrapped in. 

Victor stayed silent when he saw Yakov’s eyes glisten sadly when Yuuri grappled for his large thumb, squealing delightfully as he cuddled into his hand. Yakov’s hand trembled and his expression wavered as he allowed Yuuri to cling on his hand. 

No longer did Victor think of Yakov as a brutal war criminal, not after seeing him so vulnerable to Yuuri. “What will happen now?” he asked.

“We gather what is left of the ship, see if we can find any link to their family. If there’s none, we will care for the boy.” 

Little did Victor know, there was so much Yuuri would teach Victor in the years he had coming up.


	2. Sneaky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... This is going to be how it is; the story is gonna be a mix of short and long chapter depending on the purpose. Short ones are going to cute, adorable, comedic chapters and long ones will be the more story heavy ones, but not too greatly, I'll sneak in cute and funny stuff in too.
> 
> I recommend you listen to this when the harp scene comes in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEK4hw7hMgI

While the arrival of Yuuri was a welcomed one, the King and Queen kept themselves firm and fair toward his fate. Yuuri was a child in their country, and because he had no guardian, he would grow up with the nuns. This choice was well thought and undoubtedly right, for the nuns have been known for their pure hearts and strong combat skills, they would show Yuuri the way of kindness and strength.

The nuns were overjoyed to have the responsibility and privilege to raise a child, while Victor protested. Victor knew the nuns were honest and kind, and would no doubt provide him the best protection with their skills, but he felt that he was shirking his responsibility to personally see that Yuuri was cared for. It would have been better if Yuuri was raised by his side.

Mari, the girl that had been washed ashore, was buried in blue and white roses. The royal family and servants of the castle all arrived to give their prayers and sympathies for the loss of her life. It was shared sorrow for the unnecessary death of a young child. Victor hopes that with the prayers, the girl could rest and return to her home, wherever it may have been.

The Queen shook her head to him, stating bluntly that Victor was still a child himself and required to do quite a bit of growing up himself. She promised Victor, that he would see Yuuri again when he was older and noble; a proper prince of Ursias. When Victor asked what that meant, his mother smiled at him with silence.

The King assured Victor they would meet again, Yakov would ensure that while he and his wife were away. 

On the day of their departure, Victor said goodbye in tears and clinging to his father’s arm. Yakov eventually had to hold him back to allow his father to board the ship. 

Originally, Victor had a strict schedule to follow that day, but Yakov gave him the day off to do what he wished, a gentle decision to lessen the hard day. Victor gave calligraphy a shot, but his pen ended up leaking through when he tried to spin it over his wrist the same way his classmates, he took the exploding pen as a sign that today wasn't appropriate to work with ink. Instead, Victor decided to visit Yuuri with the aid of his lock picking skills, he hadn't seen him since that day of meeting him. 

Yuuri was found in the nursery, resting in his cradle at the center of the stained glass room. The best architects of the country had gathered to manipulate the sunlight to shine through every stained glass picture in the order of how the world came to be, tinting the room in various deep blues depending on the day. 

Upon closer inspection of the room, the nuns didn't spare a single toy or decoration to set up in the room. It wasn't a surprise, orphans were often adopted by someone close or taken under the wing of a wealthy merchants, farmers, craftsmen, or the occasional knight; it was the way of Ursia to take care of each other. Nuns rarely got the chance to care for a parentless child. It was natural that the nuns wanted to spoil the first child they got to care for. Enchanted fruit trees grew beside the windows, soft lights floated around while carrying various colourful toys, a harp was playing a soft melody, and bookshelf stood in the corner with a white desk beside it. The thing that stuck out the most was the hand carved cradle, the design of vines and trees was old fashioned, something from a long time ago. Victor stood on his toes, using his arms to latch on the edge to get a better look.

Yuuri was asleep on the soft cushion of his bed, fitted in a white onesie that was buttoned at the front. His small arms and legs twitches in his sleep, his tiny fingers would randomly clench and unclench. Watching Yuuri sleep brought a sense of peace to Victor, it made him reassured to see the toddler contently asleep, the nuns were going to take dry good care of him. It occurred to Victor that Yuuri would attract attention since he looked different. Other kids would notice his night out eyes and ink hair, no doubt wanting to get close to him. 

Victor leaned in to stretch out his arm, stroking over Yuuri’s cheek, happy to find that he was pleasantly warm. Air was caught in Victor’s lungs, body froze, and his eyes widened as panic settled in. He retreated his finger to scan over, finding thick splotches of ink over his fingers. Victor desperately tried to wipe it off with his other hand, smearing the ink across his upper lip, he withdrew with his other hand, his thumb accidentally left another spot of ink on Yuuri’s chin.

The touches had disturbed Yuuri’s sleep, he began to twist in agitation from his disrupted nap, opening his mouth to let out a wailing cry. Victor shushed and tried to calm away Yuuri’s cries by picking him up and nuzzling into his face, chastely kissing his forehead, only to leave more ink stains over the toddler’s forehead. Yuuri didn't stop his sobs, which brought the sound of light heels headed up the stairs. Lilia was the only one of the nuns that had had heels that clicked. Lilia was coming. Lilia was going to be furious.

With fear gripping Victor’s chest, he placed Yuuri back into his cradle, running to hide under the desk, using the darkness of the corned to shield him away from sight.

The sound of keys were pulled out and unlocked the door. Lilia was wearing a black sweater with white vertical lines and a long black skirt, she headed straight for Yuuri and quickly hushed his cries back to sleep. She froze when she caught sight of Yuuri’s appearance and became silent. The quiet grew in weight, choked Victor’s heart as he could feel the worsening fury in Lilia, her self control kept her from speaking for Yuuri’s sake. For a moment, she looked around the room, stilling in the direction where Victor hid. A single step was taken before she placed Yuuri back in his bed, solemnly and slowly walked out, the door closing by itself. 

Needless to say, Victor ran out to his bath, ridding the evidence on his skin and using some of his mother’s make up to cover the faint traces of ink on his own face. He threw his ink stained suit into the fire, returning back to his room just in time to open his mathematics textbook as Yakov knocked.

“Come in.” He said, keeping his voice calm but rather high pitched, his heart threatened to burst when Yakov entered but did not say anything when he stood behind him. “ _ I’m so dead.”  _ Victor mused to himself, accepting the fact as he got to his feet to turn to Yakov. His eyes met Yakov’s swollen face, the red patches on his face were in the shape of slim hands, the white gloves and shirt he wore was covered in ink. “What happened?” He asked, without thinking properly.

Yakov’s face turned deeper red, coughing into his fist in embarrassment “I’m afraid sir Georgi found his mother’s performance make up. I had tried my best to wash it off his face, but could not avoid the mess.” He failed to mention why his face was so swollen, though Victor had a feeling he knew why “...I'm allergic to ink, young prince.” Yakov added “I stopped by because our neighboring country has requested that you meet their young heir, prince Christophe.

“Oh… I see. Um… Go clean yourself up, and I'll be ready when you come back.” Victor suggested, finding his guilt follow in the tone of his words. As Yakov excited his room, Victor could only apologize in silence  _ “I'm so sorry, Yakov… You’ve done great taking the hits for me. Promise I'll be more careful next time.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harp music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEK4hw7hMgI  
> I love that dog in the background.
> 
> I'm not the best at comedy, but I want to make Victor seem very much like a kid since he is on, he won't be a prince charming for a while, just a clumsy fool for now while Yakov has to put up with his shit.
> 
> Thank you for all the lovely comments <3 I'm relieved there's been good reactions to the story so far <3


	3. Got Milk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made a playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIEnLUhArCbtai-KpigvwqU5j7AOamm6l
> 
> Maybe it'll give you guys an idea what is coming up. 
> 
> Anyways! I hope you find this chapter humorous.

Every member of the royal family should hold their head high. Victor knew how to be proud without being arrogant, and did his best to avoid procrastinating his duties, mostly because he had a lot more to lose if he didn’t. All of this was for the sake of a certain child he often thought of. 

 

One particular duty Victor had the responsibility of withholding was to hold still every year for his portrait. It was the first time he was standing in his newly tailored suit without the company of his father and mother. This time, he sat at the center of the velvet chair with cotton pink roses in his lap alone. The flower crown he wore tickled his head, and fought the urge to shake it off and scratch away the itch.

 

The painter sat in concentrating, occasionally his expression would twist into a funny contemplating look. Victor had suggested to Yakov to hire a magician to enchant the paint and brushes to quicken the process to an hour instead of the entire day, only to be rejected for the sake of tradition. Yakov was so terribly stingy when it came to tradition, which proved to be unfair; a stone rule in the Nikiforov family required that every newborn must have limited access to technology. Listening to the same orchestra made it difficult to fend off the dozing sensation Victor had.

 

Yakov was even more resilient with his intense glare, threatening Victor to stay awake for the portrait, using the opportunity to visit Yuuri as weight over him. It had been a year since Yuuri had been found, and Victor hadn’t been successful in sneaking in his room and found Lilia’s fury and Yakov’s scolding demotivating in the task. Of course they’d soon meet everyday once the summertime days end this year, Yakov had organized for Victor to attend a prestigious school where the young master and their servants attend the same school by each other’s side for the sake of allowing the more noble son’s to live their life of comfort during academic studying. Victor would never of course let Yuuri work if it was unnecessary, all he wanted was time to play and become closer, it would be nice to have a friend outside the wealthy community.

 

Thankfully the painter that was picked was a renowned one known for his detailed and quick work of paint, so Victor had been done before sundown. Just as the painter was adding his signature to the work, a sound of tiny feet was frantic as the door was pushed open. A young child clumsily walked into the open space, his eyes wide in excitement “You’re here!” he boldly exclaimed with glee. Seeing the difference between Yuuri as a bright toddler was heartwarming, made it difficult for him to take his eyes away from him.

 

Lilia quietly followed after, with a hard expression; normally she carried a cool distant gaze in her straight posture. She carried a pitcher of milk and looked to Victor before she sharply glared at Yakov “He wanted to bring you both milk for working hard.” she explained shortly, clear that she was only there for Yuuri’s sake. Recently it’s been rumored that Lila favored Yuuri, known as a fact among closer associates. 

 

Victor knew better than to say it, but Yakov was most definitely jealous of the tiny Yuuri. Setting aside his bouquet, Victor jumped off the leveled floor he was on to lift Yuuri and spin in slow circles “I’m so happy you’re visiting, Yuuri! Yakov isn’t fun at all, I ended up counting all the hair’s that were falling off his head.” when he stopped his spinning he cuddled Yuuri to rub his cheek over his.

 

Yuuri giggled and blew a raspberry into Victor’s skin “Is Yakov an onion?” he asked.

 

With a barely repressed laugh, Victor nodded “An angry onion that hates milk.”

 

“No!” Yuuri gasped, throwing a sad look at Yakov before turning to Lilia in disappointment “It won’t help grow his hair if he doesn’t drink...”

 

Yakov cleared his throat “Never said such a thing, I’ll take a glass.” he huffed, gesturing for a nearby servant to pour him a glass. Quickly, he held a silver chalice filled with the milk Yuuri had brought. “I’m quite grateful Yuuri thought of me.” he looked to Lilia to confirm that he was appreciating Yuuri’s thoughtfulness.

 

“Did you get the milk from the chef?” Victor whispered to Yuuri “C’mon, you can tell me, I won’t tattle on you, cross my heart.” Something about Lilia’s gleaming eyes made Victor suspicious, she was unusually quiet, as if she was waiting.

 

Small fingers covered over Yuuri’s mouth as a terrible attempt to seal his smile “Um… I drank all the milk… I put paint in water and made milk for you guys.” he replied. 

 

The sound of Yakov gagging and choking back the chalky white mixture of white paint and water brought the attention of everyone in the room. “It’s delicious.” Yakov lied, he was in obvious pain from the ‘milk’ but Yuuri believed him and clapped in joy. His rough hands pulled out his handkerchief, wiping the corner of his lips and blowing his nose

 

“Now your hair will grow back!” he exclaimed, pointing Yakov to Lilia “Then you can marry next!” 

 

Yakov choked again, Lilia remained unchanged and unbothered by Yuuri.

 

Yuuri then looked back to Victor “And then your hair won’t fall out.”

 

“Ehh, but i’m not old, Yuuri.” Victor corrected.

 

Yuuri tilted his head quizzically, confused at the logic of Victor’s words “But you’re so big and old… You’re Yakov’s age.”

 

Victor’’s heart dropped “No! Yuuri I’m still young!” he defended, thinking on his mother’s thick hair was like his, not at all like his father’s thinning hair.

 

Small fingers tugged at Victor’s shoulder lengthed hair “But it’s thin...”

 

Victor placed Yuuri gently on the ground before he flopped over to his side “It isn’t. Yuuri you’re a liar.” He wouldn’t live it down if he were to become a bald prince.

 

Yuuri merely panicked at Victor’s sullen response, shaking him and pointing to Yakov “Don’t worry! You won’t look like Yakov at least...”

 

Yakov scoffed at Yuuri’s well meaning words, clearing his throat to hint for the two to stop embarrassing him, he felt his stress rising again in his blood and did his best to withhold himself from yelling, he was still a bit in trouble from a mysterious ink prank a year ago.

 

Lilia’s mild smile was unnoticed, a master at hiding her soft laughter at the entertaining scene she was witnessing, she soon removed herself to return to her usual activities knowing Victor would cling to Yuuri’s company for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be more serious, not without humor to balance it of course   
> ;)
> 
> School is starting soon, and a bunch of unexpected events have happened during the preparation period and I've been trying to pick up the pieces and settle down, so I hope you guys can forgive me for being slow at updating.

**Author's Note:**

> I want you to know, this world has magic.... and armies made up of nuns. This story has a plot and a meaning, with a lot more servings of humor (Nothing ridiculous of course), so I hope you guys will continue to support me in this endeavor.
> 
> As usual, comments are greatly appreciated <3 I'll see you next time!


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